What A Cup of Coffee Can Do
by dreamingtheimpossible
Summary: Troy and Gabriella knew each before. That autumn day in Starbucks was not their first meeting, but something about the first moment they looked into the other's eyes that day made everything change. But, can they fight love at first sight with reality?
1. First Sight

Troy and Gabriella knew each before. That autumn day in Starbucks was not their first meeting, but something about the first moment they looked into the other's eyes that day made everything change. They went to the same high school together but neither of them directly knew the other nor did they have friends who were friends with both of them. The two lived in two separate worlds but merely knew enough to recognize the other when they found each other at the same college. But, East High was long gone and the New York University kept them as far apart as possible. Troy was with his basketball buddies, killing teams from across the United States and Gabriella had to keep up with her classes, double majoring in both Literature and the Law. But, that day in late September in the brisk chill of Fall was something special.

It was freezing cold, the dark gray clouds in the skies hid the Sun behind them selfishly. Trees were swaying from side to side, blowing leaves to a final nakedness. Other plants were a red-orange. Troy's girlfriend of three years, three perfectly great years, had at first refused to go to Starbucks but soon Troy won over her and dragged her a long for a cup of coffee. Hailey and Troy met the first year of college, she was a super dancer and he was the basketball hunk. Needless to say, it was their last year in college together. Hailey wasn't a stereotype cheerleader either. Her girlfriend status with Troy Bolton was not a product of his utter stupidity. She was not a complete ditz in a mini skirt and was definitely not a person who wanted to date Troy for his looks and popularity. Hailey wasn't after his parent's money, or the money he was going to earn from his soon-to-be job as a professional basketball player for the Knicks. Those two were perfect for each other. After three years, both of them had built a very strong foundation for a perfect future.

"Oh, come on babe. Starbucks?" Hailey complained her boyfriend as her opened the door for her. The smell of strong coffee beans filled the air in a single moment and warmed Troy's heart. He has never been here either, and honestly, Troy wasn't the coffee type guy either. But, today was different. He just had a sudden craving for extremely great cup of coffee today and knew the place to find it.

"It Friday! I want to go the movies but..." It wouldn't take long for anyone to guess but Hailey and Troy had the same usual tastes, senses and favorites. They were the exact same and in the past 21 years Troy was surprised to actually find someone could be so much like him. Another surprising reason why Troy and Hailey were just perfect for each other.

"I know, Hays. But this is going to be awesome. Trust me" he says, and Troy was purely confident in his words. He knew that something was up today and going to Starbucks -which is a place he has never entered before- would be the best thing for them. He just had one of those feelings. The feeling where you have to do something and you don't know why.

The lingering fragrance that one would expect in a coffee shop was luring, Troy loved it. The dim lit store, the red walls with golden cursive writing on the walls which he thought were famous quotes. The lights that shone behind the counter, signaling for attention. Everything was so delighting that it excited Troy. He wanted to know what was going to happen, what this feeling that led him to Starbucks would result in. But, nothing happened. Everything was just as normal as it should be.

Sighing happily, Troy held Hailey close to himself as they both scanned the menu. "Hi, what can I get you guys today?" A voice came from the counter. Troy eyes laid on the girl. He smiled at her. He slipped a hand off of Hailey's waist to hold her hand.

"You want anything?" he asked her once she looked at him. She shook her head, making a face.

"Actually" she decided against it. "I want a non-fat yogurt" she said and pointed to the one behind the glass window. Troy chuckled to himself as he echoed his order. Hailey went on this new (or old ) thing to loose wight with a special diet and no matter how much Troy said she was fine she denied and continued eating salads for dinner while his friends chomped on juicy hamburgers.

"Yeah, one of what she said and a White Chocolate Mocha" he ordered the black haired lady behind the counter.

"Okay. That will be 6. 35, please" Troy reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet to pay.

In a matter of moments, their coffee and snack was served and they were both seated in a tall, round table for two. Troy sat a chair with his back towards the door with his girlfriend beside him.

The two were silent for a while before Hailey turned her gaze away from the furniture around her and back to Troy's wonderful eyes. "You know, I think I can like this place" Troy grinned.

"I told you so" he remarked and Hailey rolled her eyes. To Troy's eyes, Hailey was drop-dead gorgeous. Having her seating in front of him seemed like a miracle. Her eyes were a shiny hazel, her hair a strong caramel color, slightly matching Troys. Her lips were pink and glossy, her cheeks with no mark or stain. Hailey's hair was in a ponytail, which was Troy's favorite hairstyle. She wore a long woolen jacket a blue sweater underneath and a pair of black mid-calf length boots. Just looking at Hailey was like seeing a goddess in front of him. Troy thought of proposing to her as soon as they leave college, maybe on a graduation vacation or something. The idea of marriage, though, to Troy was very vague. Sometimes, he wonders ,however, if it is the idea of being wedded or the idea of Hailey that is faint. But most of the time, Troy is ensured with a hundred percent guarantee on Hailey.

Hailey suddenly squealed, pulling Troy out of his thoughts. "Omigod!" She jumped on her legs. Troy followed her direction to directly behind him where Josie, one of Hailey's friends, was standing.

"Hays!" Josie exclaimed. "I thought you hated coffee?" She asked in the middle of a clashing hug from her cousin sister.

"I know, it was Troy's idea though" Troy smiled at Josie and she replied with a simple 'hey'. Troy wasn't a big fan of Hailey's friends. Not like they were annoying or such, but the fact that they always seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"How've you been doing?"Josie asked Hailey again. Troy slid around on his chair, focusing on his coffee again. He stirred the drink with the cup and smiled blankly. Slowly, without much effort because of numerous opportunities for practice, Troy tuned Hailey and Josie's conversation out and contemplated in his own world. He thought about many things like graduation, like his family and like basketball.

"Babe?" Once again, Troy was yanked out of thoughts to face his worried looking girlfriend. "Um..I know I promised that we can be alone today..but can I..with Josie" she stuttered, and Troy could tell that she was not trying to hurt him. He smiled at her.

"Yeah, its fine" he replied. "I'll probably go over to Chad's apartment?" He suggested, referring to his old best friend that actually went to Princeton, a state away from here.

The smile playing on Hailey's lips faded. "Chad's?!" she questioned rather loudly. "Uh..isn't that really far away?" He thought about it again.

"I'll figure something out, you can go, baby" he allowed. Hailey's beam returned. With a quick kiss on the lips, she linked arms with Josie and left the store.

Troy sighed, actually glad to be got up from his seat and went over to sit in another one closer to the window and facing the door. This time he actually recognized the soft tune playing in the background of the shop. It was getting really late, the clouds darkening. If it weren't for the rain that was currently pouring down, Troy would've decided to go bunk at a team mate's place for the night. Usually, the whole team would gather on weekends like these and most of the days he didn't go because he quote 'had to spend time with his girlfriend' which was true. He could find out where it was and then join the guys.

All of a sudden, a gush of cool air lashed Troy and he shivered. The warm temperature's of the shop dropped abruptly. Troy held his coffee to himself, somehow thinking it may give warmth. He gulped down the last hot sip to keep his insides toasty. With the cup empty, Troy positioned himself in a deeper slouch then he was already sitting. The moment Troy shifted his eyes up, a lightning bolt hit him as a saw the coziest chocolate brown eyes he has ever laid eyes on. The utter comfort he felt when he lost himself inside those orbs left him in ultimate awe and he couldn't look away. Troy then noticed the person he was looking at. It was Gabriella. His old homeroom classmate. Of course, he had seen her before, noticed her before but never did it feel exactly the way he felt right then. Like somehow, the infamous 'bubble' that Troy resides in from kindergarten expanded and scooped up Gabriella in it, too.

The moment Troy was aware of the drastic change, it all came back to shock him like an electrocution. He was left breathless. His thoughts started rambling, telling him to look away, to get out of the Starbucks this moment. But he didn't move, he just couldn't. By now, Troy realized that Gabriella had been moving, by her eyes were still locked with his. Her features reflected the same emotion that Troy would imagine in his face right then and he godforsaken hoped that Gabriella felt what had happened back there, too. But at the same time, he was dying just to run away, to vanish back to Hailey. Yet, the more he stayed put, the more he wanted to. The more he suddenly _had_go up to her and talk to her.

Gabriella was first to look away. Troy figured out that she worked here in Starbucks once she disappeared and reappeared with a green apron on. She began working, while Troy gazed at her. And the worst part was that she knew he was looking at her. She fidgeted around, biting her lip. She stuttered when she tore he second's gaze off of him and took too-often peeks at Troy himself.

What started out as a puny want turned out to be Troy's whole being burning desire. The desire to talk to her. But what would he say? He craved to speak with Gabriella without a script. So, Troy stood up spontaneously and ambled over to Gabriella. The closer her got, the more Gabriella faked trying to be busy. But all together, when he was about two feet away she gave up and stared straight into Troy's blue hypnotizing eyes with a smile on her face. Troy wished that he could stop but he didn't, and inside he really didn't want to. And still, his mouth did not know but he was going to say.

"Hi, what can I do for you, today?" Gabriella asked, with a that charming smile on her face. Troy stared at her for a blank second. What does he say now? Answer the question, of course. But with what? The reply he that came back to that question was the most ridiculous of them all. He would answer with the first thing he thinks.

And, the first thing he thought of was "Do you want to out...later?". The smile on Gabriella's face disappeared. Her wide eyes called out for help but her face remained stock still.

"What? Troy, I barely know you!" She whispered hoarsely.

"You know my name" He insisted. And with that statement, Troy completely turned over to this side. He was no more in the middle. He wanted Gabriella. And that's all, for the rest of his life.

"So? What are you thinking?! I can't go out with you now!" she replied. Gabriella moved around the counter with a wet towel.

"Why?" he pleaded.

"Because!"

"That's not a reason, Ella" She paused to deliberate her new nickname.

"But-"

"Oh come on!" Troy yelled.

Her adorable eyes widened even more. "Shh, Troy!" she hushed and Troy silenced for less than a minute.

"Gabriella, you and I both know something happened just now" Troy whispered her, desperately. "Are you seriously trying to tell me you're going to ignore that? Because I know, I won't live not even until tomorrow doing that" Gabriella stopped. Troy searched answers in her expression but nothing was let out until she finally sighed. Troy's stomach lurched in excitement.

Gabriella looked up at Troy and smiled. "I'm off in an hour. Can you wait?"

Troy grinned. He ran both of his hands through his hair, bliss filling him to he brim. All his thoughts were intricate with Gabriella in them in at least one way. It was so overwhelmingly beautiful. He absolutely loved the feeling. He could swear that if he ever died with Gabriella, he would've died happy. "Damn" he said. "I would wait forever for you".

To Troy's utter detest, the next hour _was_forever. It dragged on until 9:00 pm when the skies were completely dark. Troy was slumped over in his chair, his arms crossed in front of him, his head in his arms. He was practically wishing that he would sleep to make the time go by.

"Hey" A voice like rose petals sung to Troy. He jumped up. Gabriella stood in front of him, her apron finally not clinging to her waist anymore.

Troy exhaled. "Finally!" he literally yelped. Gabriella giggled, her hands in the back pocket of her jeans. "So..um..where do you want to go?" Troy watched as her upper lip stretched out to bite just a portion of her lower lip, folding it into her mouth. He smiled, fascinated at the movement as his heart thudded wildly in his chest. As the two walked out of Starbucks, Troy nudged her arm. He knew that noticed because her throat let out a tiny gasp and she looked at Troy. He acted liked he didn't know what he just did, like it was just an accident.

"Well?" Troy pushed. It seemed to take awhile before Gabriella knew what he was talking about.

"Oh um..." Those teddy bear eyes did their magic again. They looked out for as if the answer to where they should go would be over there. Her eyes were underlined with black eyeliner, letting them stand out to Troy like no other pair of eyes have ever done. It was catastrophic, the things that went in side him right now. He felt like the rush of bubbles in a fish tank, when one pops another forms. They stood there, in the dark with yellow light above them and Gabriella leaning on the tall wooden pole that held up the wooden cover for the line of small stores around them,. They were in an almost empty plaza, where there was the grocery store and next door was a Starbucks. Gabriella went on her tip toes for just a second, smiling again and then bounced back on her heels.

"You know, I can get us a free coffee inside?" Troy looked at her and beamed forgetting immediately that he never liked coffee. He would have a hundred for Gabriella. Troy jammed his hands in his pockets.

"Isn't it closed already?" Troy assured with her. And it was, the lights were already out and the only was on was the one that hung over the working area. She smirked and held up something. When Troy looked closely, it was key in he hand. His mouth dropped open.

"We can just wait awhile before we actually enter the shop" Gabriella instructed and then leaned back on the pole some more. Troy relaxed on the one just opposite from her.

Minutes later, when both of their confidence grew they pushed the key into the slot and unlocked the door.

"Are you sure we can-?" Troy started looking around at the dark coffee store.

"Don't worry. All the staff hangs out here until really late at night. Tonight there's nobody but you will see us tomorrow night if you're here" Troy chuckled. "Let's just keep the lights off" she suggested and he nodded agreeing to that. She walked behind the counter and into the room with the door saying "employees only". Troy stopped just outside the gate leading inside.

Gabriella appeared again smiling at Troy. "Are you coming?" She asked. Troy blanked out for a second and then followed Gabriella. Everything behind the scene was fogged out, Troy only seeing Gabriella move around. She grabbed two mugs from a cupboard and walked passed Troy to the coffee making area. That's when he took the chance to look around. Not much was different than what he had imagined.

"So, what are we having?"

"_The_Gabriella Special " she answered, not looking at Troy.

"And how do you know I'll like it" Gabriella giggled and then glanced at Troy.

"You'll love it" She zoomed away, making the supposed-to-be-delicious coffee. She added milk, coffee powder and mixed in many other ingredients. Watching her slick movements amazed Troy. He walked closer to her while she was making the last touch of whipping cream. Putting her hands on his waist and chin on her shoulder.

"You're very confident about that aren't you" he put on his best husky voice. Gabriella, opposite from his expectations which was stiffening from his close act, remained in his arms until she turned around with a mug in her arms.

"Everybody _loves_my coffee, dumbo" she contradicted and handed him the mug. "Its hot" she commented and leaned against the counter, still very close to Troy. He was the one to pull back first and stand next to her. He took a slow slip , the whipped cream sticking onto his nose without his notice. As his mouth was ravished with taste and the coffee traveled down his throat, a varied expression slapped across his face. Gabriella grinned widely.

"Wow..." That's all he said for Gabriella to get into a fit of laughs. She turned and wiped off the smudge of white cream off of his nose with her index finger. She held her hand finger up to his mouth and he obliged to open. Her finger slipped inside with a gentle touch onto his tongue and pulled out just as quick. They continued a long stare until Gabriella looked down. She took Troy's hand and led him out from behind the counter to take a seat. It was a far corner of the store where only a few rays of golden light could reach. Just enough for one to see the precious face outlines of the other.

"Tell me about your self" They were facing each other and their hands were still locked. Gabriella smiled.

"Well, I am 21. I am studying the law and literature in the New York University. This is my last year here and after I want to be a Humanities teacher" Troy found himself leaning forward, intrigued by Gabriella's interests and future. He rolled his eyes when she finished, disappointed at the lack of detial.

"That's all?" Gabriella's gave him a confused look.

"Um...my favorite color is green" Troy laughed aloud.

"Food?"

"Macaroni and Cheese" her voice grew quieter and shy.

"Drink?" She laughed in synchronization with Troy.

"I'm not sure, actually. I love to make coffee but I don't have a favorite drink. Probably that whole menu up there" They both chuckled again.

"Why do you like to work here?" Troy questioned randomly.

" I've always wanted to work here. Ever since I first walked in the Starbucks in Albuquerque when it was freezing cold outside and I wanted a hot chocolate while I was 13. Its not like any I would've walked into any coffee shop. I wanted to work in Starbucks and _only_Starbucks. So" she paused looking at Troy and finally slipping her hand away from their grasp. "I'm here".

"Now what about you? Why do you want to be a professional basketball player?"

"How did you-" Gabriella laughed silently in the midst of his question.

"Troy, I've known you ever since we were in middle school. I haven't talked to you at all, but I notice how much you like basketball. You joined all the teams from middle school and on. Anybody would've realized that you have favor it..."

"I don't know" he replied plainly.

"Don't you get bored? I mean I got bored after a week of playing nothing but hop scotch when I was little" Troy cackled again.

"No. At first, my dad put me in a kiddie team when I was in second grade and the next year he did the same. After sometime, I loved it. So, I still play it" He took a sip from the cup in front of him.

The two went on chatting. About their future, about their friends Chad and Taylor. About how they chose New York. They didn't stop until they practically knew each other like they should have by now . And when they were out of subjects, they refused to leave.

"Hey, I heard there is a new movie out. Do you want to go check it out? There are always late shows in-" Before Troy ended the offer she accepted.

"Yeah". Gabriella took the their mugs from off the table and rinsed them in the sink before wiping her hands on the her jeans. She slipped on a sweatshirt and joined Troy until they made it outside.

"I walked here, so I'll need a ride home afterwards" Troy warned Gabriella and she nodded.

" S'okay. I'll drop you".

So, they went off to the movies. Neither of two realized, that the more time they spend together the harder it is going to be for them to leave each other. Their soul's roots strongly connect together, entangled and impossible to break. The more time they spent together, their future together was being written by the universe. And the more time they spend together, the more and more they would fall in love with each other until it wasn't worth trying to stay away.

Two hours later, just past midnight, Gabriella drove to over to Troy's place to drop her off. He directed her which way to go and as she turned onto the driveway of his apartment building Troy finally realized that they were just going to part in a few minutes. The moment he thought it he swore a crack formed in the middle of his chest. Troy reached over and squeezed Gabriella's hand before they both got out the car.

"Come with me to the door?" he said and she nodded with a giggle. Their hands joined again as they traveled up two flights of stairs and across a long hallway to get stand in front of his apartment. They turned to face each other.

"So" Gabriella said, as a start.

"I had a really great time today, Ella"

Gabriella just nodded at him and said, "Yeah". They stared for awhile, neither wanting leave of course. Troy's gut wrenched him towards Gabriella, telling him that he should kiss her and tell her the truth of what he was feeling, of what he wanted. But, Gabriella beat him to it.

She kicked back on her heels to vault on her toes and then kissed him. Just a quick touch of the lips and she was back on the soles of her feet. It may have been the developing shock or the fact that it was so fast it seemed like nothing had happened at all, but it took about a minute for the two to realize what had happened.

"Shit" Gabriella swore to herself and looked down. "Troy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that-"He didn't let her finish. Troy pressed his hands to her cheeks and bent down to reach her lips again. A firework exploded in both their minds. A gasp erupted from Gabriella's throat. The kiss prolonged and deepened to depths they wouldn't have thought possible. Troy's hands slipped down to her waist as an invisible tug pulled him closer to Gabriella, both of them now leaning against the door of Troy's apartment. While in their initial passion, Troy took the silver key to Gabriella's apartment from in between her fingers. He slid it into the crooked slot on the door knob silently, missing Gabriella's hearing span.

He tried the key twice before the door budged open unexpectedly on the last of Troy's attempts to open it. Gabriella lost balance as she tripped into the room, stomping the floor to protect both of their downfall. The two slammed against a cream colored wall and continued their frantic kisses. It wasn't long before they abandoned the doorway to find a bedroom. At last, stumbling over each other's feet Troy lifted Gabriella bridal style and they landed both on his bed one on top of each other.

Troy heaved the two up into an upright position, letting Gabriella lock her legs around her waist and hover over his lap. His shirt was long gone while his lips followed a hungry trail from Gabriella's lips, down her jaw and to that electric pot of gold at the nape of her neck.

"Troy" Gabriella moaned, her nails digging into his bronze shoulders. A tight not formed in Troy, making his mind craze and heart beat go eccentric. He slipped his fingers underneath Gabriella's shirt, feeling the ultimate softness hidden illegally behind a piece of clothing which was then discarded immediately. Troy let out a high-pitched grunt as she blindly ran over his torso with the tip of her finger. All of a sudden, letting go of Gabriella became a sin.

"Ella" Troy gasped out of another fiery kiss. "It seems like...I've waited for you....so long, El" To no avail Troy tried to discontinue their line of kisses. Even he couldn't let go as they came one after another. Finally, Troy held Gabriella's hand and kissed it, now poised above her. "I love you. Just be mi-" Gabriella's head nudged forward, seizing Troy's lips and confirming his request.

"Make me yours, Troy" she uttered before they pulled the last straw for the ultimate trust towards each other.

To most people it would be quite obvious that their existence was written in the stars but that was something that Troy and Gabriella had figured out just that night when they wrapped in each other's again to fall asleep into a dreamless state. They were bound to be together no matter what. Denying that fact was like stretching out a thick rubber band until it finally snapped back and created the most unimaginable things in the world. Things like love.


	2. Last Love

Gabriella stayed up a little longer than Troy had last night. She would've slept and enjoyed the ample amount of time she had to spend with Troy but her mind didn't let her. And the fact that Troy exhausted her body to its last movement didn't help either. Yet, on the other hand, she didn't mind staring at Troy's figure as he drifted in a world of no sense between reality and dream. She faced his sculpted chest, drawing invisible circles around his shoulder. A blanket wrapped around their two naked bodies to protect them from the cold even though their body heat did pretty much most of the job.

What surprised Gabriella the most was that she was never a believer of love. Her dreams when she was a little girl were not of Prince Charming coming to sweep her off her feet but probably a scholarship to a really great university in the place of the Prince. "Love" wasn't even in her dictionary. But, what happened today was indescribable. Gabriella couldn't help but think how lowly great authors had described the way love was supposed to be. What she felt was beyond everything. Yet, Gabriella was wise enough to admit that her theories of the nonexistence of love had been _royally_proved wrong.

She even had her fare share of boyfriends, of course. But they did nothing but prove her wrongly right. And, she had never, ever felt the way she did now towards Troy Bolton. Troy , to her, was just another guy who had other things to do. It never struck her that this was a possible pair, that Troy and Gabriella could fall in love. Besides, they were complete opposites. The two didn't even have the same favorite food. Gabriella, at first, doubted that Troy was even a coffee kind of guy when she saw him in Starbucks earlier. But like the magnetic poles, could their relationship be possible? Gabriella truly hoped thoughts of Troy and dreams of a glorious life with him, Gabriella dozed off to bed.

Six hours later ,however, she awoke to the worst possible alarm of her life. It was Troy and he was speaking on his cellphone. She shivered at first when Troy shifted in the bed, the blanket being thrown off of her body. A smile spread on her face when she remembered where she was and then she snuggled deeper into the chest in front of her, instantly becoming warm again. Troy's voice startled her then.

"I'm at home, babe" he said. His voice was facing away from her. With her eyes still closed, she listened more carefully making sure she was hearing correctly. "Yeah, I missed you, too" A poisonous knife sliced through Gabriella's heart at his words. Her eyes shot open. Troy was leaning away from Gabriella but his arms still wrapped around her. Tears formed in her eyes at the last good-bye Troy gave to person on the other end of the line, "I love you, too".

Gabriella's body temperature soared five fold, her hands instantly slippery, her heart thrashing in her chest and the rest of her body raging with fury and hurt. She felt like crying and screaming at the same time. Troy hung up the phone and turned back to face Gabriella with no emotion o his face. Her face stayed the same expression, a horrified boiling. Troy leaned forward to brush his lips on hers not noticing that she had her eyes open. And they were teary.

"You have a girlfriend?!" Gabriella practically yelled. Troy froze, the cool blue of his eyes immediately turning a violent navy. She leaped out of Troy's bed in the blink of an eye and starting scraping the floor for her underwear. She had to leave before the tears pour. Before she collapsed in pure pain. Troy shortly followed, his magnificent torso springing up to sit on the bed while he leaned on an arm.

"Ella, let me explain!" Troy urged.

"There is nothing to explain, Troy!" She faced him, still pant-less. She found her pair of jeans and started slipping into them. "I just had the greatest night of my life last night to find out the next morning that the guy I was with was cheating on his girlfriend with me" She buttoned her pants and loosely shrugged her arms into the folds of her sweatshirt.

"Me too!" Troy jumped out of bed, grabbed his boxers and by the time he grabbed a hold of Gabriella's elbows had them on. She shoved him away, whipping her bag around lightly so that he would let go. He continued to speak, "Everything, _everything_last night was just as perfect for me as it was for you, Ella"

"Sure, it was Troy!" Gabriella was at the front door, facing Troy who was blocking her way out. "You told me who loved me yesterday, goddammit! That something happened between us and you wanted to go out! And then this morning I hear you on a phone telling someone else you love them! You know, maybe I am not so important to you Troy. Maybe you just wanted a great time in bed so you came to me yesterday! But, I really hope you don't go around hurting girls like you did to me, Troy," Troy's eyes widened at the realization that he had hurt Gabriella. "Because I freaking love you, Troy. And even if something didn't happen to you back in Starbucks yesterday, something did happen to _me"_

Gabriella pushed Troy aside opened the door to Troy's apartment. Just before she left, Gabriella caught sight of a picture of a girl in a photo frame. She froze. She recognized the girl from one of her Law classes last year. It was Hailey Wilson. Her feet stopped.

"I hope you don't hurt her as much as you did me, Troy. She's a really nice girl"

The stairs made her distraction from tearing up and crying right there. But, when she walked out of building to the cool breeze of New York her insides doubled over. The breeze that should have made her life better made her want to throw up. Gabriella put an arm on her car and leaned over. The slab that went through her chest earlier was bleeding, pain and tears. Her heart weeped careless to its surrounding but Gabriella did whatever it took to stop the tears from showing in her eyes.

Gabriella slid into the passenger seat and finally let out a sob. She held her face in her hands and wailed out loud like the car was sound proof. It was Saturday today and she had a two hour shift at Starbucks in the morning and then from 5 to closing tonight. And for the first time, Gabriella really didn't want to go to work today. It was 11: 15 now, and she had another hour before she was due at work. Gabriella powered the ignition and drove out of the shoulder lane. Out of the corner of her, she saw Troy's figure run out in a black shirt and pair of sweats. She had a gut-wrenching feeling to hit the brakes right then and run into Troy's arms but her hands and feet wouldn't let her. She kept driving until Troy all but a tiny speck on her rear view mirror. She hit the accelerator so that she wouldn't have to see even that little speck.

Five minutes later, Gabriella threw herself onto her own bed. The tears have dried up and now only long hiccups came out of her throat. She cringed in agony, her breath stopping from the thoughts of Troy belonging to someone else, her body stiffening.

"Gabi?" A familiar voice seeped through her tears. It was Sharpay, her best friend. Gabriella stopped, crying and shot up looking at the worried-as-hell eyes of her friend. She ran to her friend, hoping that her loose jeans wont trip her and crashed in Sharpay's arms.

"Gabs, what happened, babe?" Gabriella knew that resisting the memory of the everything that happened last night, so she sat both of them down and through her bawls told Taylor the whole story.

Sharpay had known Gabriella since they were little two year olds running around in frocks. She had moved away from Albuquerque the year the two were in 6th grade. They kept in contact but soon their tight friendship fell out of place. But, they found each other the first day Gabriella stepped into the New York University campus. Next thing they knew was being best friends and roommates at the same time. Ever since then, those two were one without the other. Sharpay and Gabriella even worked in the same place.

"Shar, do you remember Troy Bolton?" Gabriella hiccuped stretching Sharpay's memory to over a decade ago.

"My pimple-face neighbor? Damn, I remember him" She replied. The rest went out as a sad song, Gabriella blabbering everything out until she was left breathless and no inch better.

"What the hell is that boy thinking?!" Sharpay screeched. "Gabs, just forget him! Boys like that have a hot ass but stupid brain" Gabriella put her hands on her face again, not even for a second believing that he was ever going to leave her mind.

"Sharpay...I..." Her blood shot eyes seeked understanding in Sharpay's hazel ones. After a second, those eyes widened, the pupils getting blacker.

"Oh, shit" Sharpay said. She stared at Gabriella rolled over in tears and almost felt like crying herself. Sharpay may not know what its like to fall in love, but it sure as hell is probably the hardest to fall out. She didn't do anything for a few seconds until she reached over and hugged Gabriella tight , knowing that she needed it.

"It's okay. Everything will be fine, honey" Sharpay soothed even though she had no clue what was going to happen.

Her eyes were darkened, the red veins that streaked across the whites of her eyes shone out. About forty-five minutes later, Gabriela gave up crying. She decided when Sharpay went all teary on her too. Gabriella knew that it was something to feel pain yourself but making others feel it was against her book. So, she sucked up her wails and wiped red cheeks to come to work with Sharpay. But, what she decided was dead wrong. Because its the worst thing ever to keep the torment building up inside her like a hurricane that ate her soul piece by piece.

"Your eyes are red, Gabs. You are going to scare anyone who looks at you. Make the coffee today" Sharpay directed and Gabriella forced a laugh out. She scooted over with her legs and popped on a hat so that she can hide her puffy eyes from anyone.

Anyone who was behind the scenes that day in Starbucks would of thought Gabriella had an obsession over working here. She went crazy by working her self to the core. She didn't even stop to break. It was a rainy Saturday, so people poured in by the dozen. For two strait hours Gabriella made 104 drinks, wiped all of the tables in the store four times, wiped the same serving counter 42 times, refilled the extras station with half milk and different powder additions and ordered 34 drinks through the cash register. Sharpay knew it and so did the manager of the place. Gabriella was working herself to exhaustion. She wasn't going to stop and couldn't be stopped. Even when coworkers who tried to catch her endlessly moving arms, failed. She put on an ugly smile and said she was all right when it was written all over face that she wasn't.

The whole day, Gabriella didn't leave the Starbucks coffee shop. The weather outside all day had been surprisingly sunny for a day in November but the wind still kept the low temperatures still.

And even though Gabriella had such a distraction on her hands, Troy was the only one running through her mind. Many times she scrubbed the tables so hard that water started coming out of her eyes rather than the wet towel in her hands.

"Gabi!!" Sharpay screamed. All of a sudden, Gabriella was ambushed by her best friend's tanned arms pulling her into a tight embrace. And thats it took for Gabriella to break down again. She started sobbing again in Sharpay's arms. Sharpay dragged the two behind the counter again.

"Let's go home" Sharpay said, pulling her to their small locker to grab their purses and leave, but Gabriella refused.

"Shar, we still have an hour left until our shift is over"

"What shift? We've been hear all day, Gabi. Let's go to the mall, babe. I want to spend my salary" Gabriella sighed, knowing that her worst was over. Now, it was all tears. She gave Sharpay a watery smile and let her pull Gabriella's hand out of the store, warning their manager before leaving and then on for a twenty minute walk until they go home.

"So let's go home, get changed out of these stupid uniforms and then head to the mall in my car" Sharpay quickly planned everything out only earning a agreening nod from Gabriella.

And that's what they did. Gabriella, not at all interested in how she looked, came home and changed into a dark blue polo shirt with a pair of navy colored jeans on the bottom. Her hair was left out, wavy and cascading past her shoulders to hang off her chest. Before leaving, Gabriella remembered to snatch her phone but when the illuminating screen shone "78 missed calls" her heart fell and she decided to leave her phone at home.

When the two finally reached the mall, Sharpay was trying her best to cheering Gabriella up. It turned out that more than Gabriella needing to become better, Sharpay was desperate for a fun friend. For Gabriella, however, she forgot how it was to have fun without Troy. She lagged slightly behind Sharpay, carrying shopping bags and lost in her own world.

"Oooh! Let's go over there!" Sharpay pointed to a store. No response. "Gabi?" Her best friend turned to face her. Gabriella was on another brink of tears.

"Sharpay, I know you are trying to make me feel better. But, I really..don't think that I can-" Suddenly, Gabriella's eye focus diverted and ran right past Sharpay. "What the hell?" Gabriella had caught the sight of a pair in the mall which consisted of Hailey Wilson. Troy's girlfriend. But the arm that looped around her waist was not Troy's. It was someone else's. There arms were wrapped around the other, not afraid of any public displays of affection.

"Gabs, what's wrong" Sharpay asked blankly in a low curious voice. A ripple of rage went through Gabriella. _How could she?_She thought to herself. _How can she cheat on Troy?_Gabriella shoved the shopping bags she carried into Sharpay's arms and rushed forth. Her eyes were burning with fury and questions. Useless tears rolled down her cheeks. She was only vaguely aware of Sharpay limping along to catch up behind her.

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" Gabriella shrieked at Hailey. The apparently devious couple pulled back from a passionate kiss.

"What?" Hailey questioned innocently, completely blind at what this girl had approached them for.

"How can you cheat on Troy like this?!" Gabriella raged, forgetting the fact that for one incredible night Troy had slept with someone else as well. With herself.

"But, we broke up!" Hailey wasn't being at all furious at the interruption like Gabriella expected, or in other words had hoped. Hoped that Hailey was a mindless bitch who didn't deserve Troy. But, the way she acted didn't prove that fact. She was being understanding!

Gabriella curtailed , the heat from the anger that just overwhelmed her disappeared. A gush of coolness went through her, making her dizzy for a moment. "What?" she gasped.

"Troy and broke up this morning. We.." She looked at the guy next to her, beckoning that perhaps Hailey was having an affair as well. "weren't going along well"

The air knocked out of Gabriella. "You mean..you.. and you" Both of them knew what she was meant to say. The fact that Gabriella was pointing to Hailey and her new boyfriend next to her seemed to be quite meaningful. Hailey nodded. After sometime of complete silence between both parties, Gabriella unfroze and twisted on her heel to face Sharpay.

"Oh my god" she spit out.

"I know. Hailey is such a nice girl. I can't believe she did that..." Obviously, Sharpay hadn't figured out what that meant. On the other hand, one person held Gabriella's mind in once piece from shattering in a million shards. Troy.

"I have to go!" she uttered and started her feet in a jog and then breaking out into a unbreakable sprint.

"What? Where" Sharpay's voice faded away as Gabriella ran out of the mall.

She took the first right out of the corner and braced herself for a great jog. Her speed ripened when the thoughts of Troy bubbled up in her mind. It wasn't even quite clear where Troy would be now, but for some foreign reason Gabriella knew that her legs would take her to the right place. 3 blocks and a whole street of enraged traffic later, she swung the door to her favorite place in the world open. Gabriella looked around wildly but no one was there except her manager.

"Ugh, thank god you two came back! I should have killed myself for letting you two go!" her managed scolded. Gabriella's face was numb and her cheeks pink from the cold. She nodded at her manager, notifying that she got her greeting. Her legs automatically pushed open the gate towards the inside room. She forced on a green apron and tied it around her waist. Then, Gabriella stood behind the cash register, her eyes locked on the door.

For twenty one years, Gabriella waited for some kind of undying happiness to sprout in her life. She thought it would come after studying in college, getting married to a suitable guy, having kids and letting them grow up too. She didn't expect that bliss to come any earlier than her retirement. And she sure as hell didn't expect it to come from someone she knew all along.

The cool autumn wind rushed into the shop, mixing with the heartwarming fragrance of coffee. Golden sun rays poured in through the glass walls of the shop and made the figure that was coming inside just a black shadow. Even though his face was just an outline and blocked out in front of the sunset Gabriella beamed at him. With one smile, a forgiveness took place. And with another a confirmation of love.

Troy's azure eyes connected to Gabriella's brown ones the moment they were in front of each other. He slipped his wintry fingers through Gabriella's warm ones.

"Hi, what can I get for you today?" Gabriella asked bewitchingly , earning a chuckle from Troy. He squeezed her hand and held it to his heart.

"Can I get the Gabriella special to-go please?"


End file.
